THUNDER BAY – Hospital, EMS, and primary care services are at risk in Northwestern Ontario due to a funding dispute between the physicians and the Ford government.
An online press conference held on Friday brought attention to the health care crisis in Northwestern Ontario.
Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said this is situation is serious.
“In Northwestern Ontario, all of the physicians in Rainy River have announced that they are resigning – they're leaving. Two of the three at the end of September, and the other will stay until November to provide some coverage.
“But that's it. That's all of the physicians in town. They provide the services at the Rainy River Clinic and at the hospital in that community,” she said.
Mehra said in addition to the physicians resigning, the closure of Emo paramedic service has been announced, due to a critical staffing shortage.
“At this point, the distances are really ominous. It's at least 50 plus kilometres from Rainy River to Emo. That service covers the whole region around Emo.
“From Rainy River to Fort Frances, which is the next hospital where people would have to go if the emerge department were to close in Rainy River, is more than an hour drive, in good weather. It is alarming the distance between Rainy River and any other service that people would need to access.”
The province has extended funding for locums, but the funding ends in November, Mehra said, adding “there is no plan after that.”
Deborah Ewald, mayor of Rainy River, said people are afraid.
“It's just not a good situation. These people have lived in this area their whole lives, they paid their fair share of taxes and everything. Now all of a sudden when they're at their old age, the health care is kind of being pulled out from underneath them and they need sustainable health care that's going to be there for them.
“We know in the town of Rainy River, we own the clinic and we've also built a locum house where locums can stay when they come in. I've been told yesterday that we are still a signatory on the contract, but we know nothing about this contract.
“The last time that we even signed anything was in 2012, when a previous doctor left and one of the three doctors that are now on this contract, their name was put as another signer.”
Ewald said the town itself has no information on what the pay is for physicians.
“I’ve had conversations with three of the doctors and they tell me what their issues are, but from a town perspective, we don't know if it is a money issue.
“We're in the dark and we were told way back then, because we had some concerns as a community about the services at the hospital. We were told by a ministry person basically, ‘shut your mouth and sign the contract or you won't have doctors.’”
Malcolm Daley, president of CUPE Local 4807, said no new paramedics are joining, while existing paramedics are exiting.
“We’re no longer treading water, we're starting to drown . . . Our paramedics are putting in astronomical amounts over time, up to 50 per cent greater than full time work hours, annually.
“They’re starting to fail, and to falter,” he said.
Jules Tupker, co-chair of the Thunder Bay Health Coalition, said the hospital in Kenora is also struggling.
“They, at one time, had 20 emergency doctors at the at the hospital. They now have nine.
“It's just unbelievable that the government is allowing this to happen. What has happened, as Deb said, and Malcolm said, this is not just all of a sudden, happened last week or last month.
“This has been building up, the problems have been building up, funding and the care that is being provided has been happening for quite a long time.”
Daley said they have been getting empty promises from the government, day in and day out.
“It's something that has to be addressed and the government just does nothing to do that. That's a failure of this government and I think things have to be done.”
